Paso Robles city manager warns of new COVID-19 restrictions if residents keep ignoring rules
Paso Robles’ city manager on Monday said the community is “moving in the wrong direction” with its increasing number of coronavirus cases and warned leaders could take action if residents don’t make an effort to limit the virus’s spread.
City Manager Tom Frutchey released a letter addressed to the Paso Robles community in which he discusses the city’s status as a COVID-19 hotspot and pushes residents to take action to prevent the spread of the virus.
Frutchey pointed out Paso Robles’ share of San Luis Obispo County’s coronavirus cases has increased during the summer — going from 13% of the total number of cases in June to 26% in July.
The county tracks coronavirus cases by zip code, meaning some of the cases in the 93446 Paso Robles zip code area may be located outside city limits.
As of Monday, the Paso Robles area had recorded 501 cases of COVID-19, almost double the next highest community on the county’s list, Nipomo, with 261.
Paso Robles also has more than double the total in Atascadero, with 218 cases, even though the two North County cities have similar population sizes.
As an example of its accelerating rate, exactly one month ago, on July 3, Paso Robles had 64 more cases than San Luis Obispo. Now, that margin has ballooned to 247.
Of the 119 cases added countywide over the weekend, 40 came from Paso, or a third of the county’s overall cases for that period.
Frutchey said there are only two major Paso Robles developments — Traditions I and Quail Run — that don’t have at least one current COVID-19 case.
Residents are becoming infected with the virus through community transmission as much as person-to-person transmission, he said. This means COVID-19 is spreading in settings outside households or offices.
“That is not a good sign,” Frutchey said. “If we would just observe physical distancing, limit mixing with those outside of our household and wear masks, the community transmission numbers could be cut dramatically.”
Frutchey referenced Kern County’s high coronavirus infection rate, pointing out many of Paso Robles’ visitors come from that area.
“If we are deluding ourselves into thinking things can’t get even worse, we are sorely mistaken,” he said.
City warns of possible coronavirus restrictions
Frutchey mentioned visiting a car dealership on Thursday, where “not a single person was wearing a mask or observing physical distancing.”
“With the rates of infection increasing so dramatically in Paso, there is a stark fact of which we should all be aware: If we don’t change our individual behavior, we are each much more likely to catch the virus than we were before,” he said. “Even if we each think we have been doing what is necessary to stay safe, our personal risk is going up. The only way for each of us to maintain the level of risk we have accepted before, is to take even more stringent actions to protect ourselves and our families.”
City leaders have previously compared residents’ personal responsibility to adhere to coronavirus rules to their response to the five-year drought that plagued the area through 2016. But now, Frutchey is rethinking that comparison.
“As a city, our basic approach has been to educate our public and then rely on them to do the right thing, just as we did during the drought,” he said. “This time, that approach is not working well. ... It may be that the pandemic is more complex than the drought. It may be that it is asking us to make personal sacrifices, rather than just sacrificing our lawns.”
Frutchey also noted that some residents believe the city is sending a mixed message by simultaneously urging that residents take personal steps to limit spread while at the same time working to help the business community by opening more outdoor dining locations.
“We are aware that is how it may appear to some,” he said. “What we are trying to do, however, is balance a variety of factors: the spread of the virus; the emotional toll of being isolated; the impacts on our economy and people’s lives if they are not making the money necessary to pay their rent and put food on the table; citizens’ willingness to follow government’s direction; etc.
“Sometimes, balancing among those factors can appear to be inconsistent, rather than nuanced,” he added. “And sometimes, to be sure, we don’t get the balance just right.
Frutchey ended the letter by warning residents that the city may have to “become more restrictive” if the pandemic continues to get worse in Paso Robles.
“In the case of the pandemic, we have to wait 14 days or longer to get feedback on what we are doing, and the feedback is clouded because many people’s actions are reflected, not just ours,” he said. “Most importantly, we are not just adjusting light levels, we are impacting people’s lives.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 2:25 PM.
